Cipher
by zentner
Summary: Akiyama Mio hides a dangerous secret. But she can't run from the truth forever and she can't save everyone. Least of all, herself. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: K-on! Is! Not! Mine!

* * *

><p>"Fucking rain."<p>

Amber eyes glowered at the sky.

The torrent flooded the streets, but the girl didn't care. She was too numb to feel anything, too tired to think. She just kept running, going nowhere. A crumpled piece of paper lay in her hand, the only part of her that has managed to stay dry.

* * *

><p>The captive closed her eyes and sighed in an effort to clear her mind.<p>

All she could think of was that the hangar smelled of damp oil rags and jet fuel.

"It's raining..." she announced to no one in particular.

"It might stop raining if you shut up." replied one of the more amiable henchmen.

The raven haired girl stared at the man blankly.

For kidnappers, they were remarkably unprepared. The weather forecast declared a moonsoon warning almost a week in advance, a fact that her kidnappers were clearly ignorant of. No ordinary aircraft could fly in this storm; flying in this weather is fairly risky, even for specialized aircraft. Delays were inevitable. Unsurprisingly, they were stuck for hours. Bored, she studied her captors.

Both of them were dressed in well-tailored suits, the kind commonly seen on rich businessmen and their cronies. The bigger one gave off the impression that he beats the crap out of people for a living. He had a habit of cracking his knuckes repeatedly, irritating people with the sound of popping synovial fluids. His comrade was rather frail in comparison. With the two of them side by side, it was like comparing an ape to a viper. By appearances, he seemed rather young, perhaps around a year or two her senior. Yet for some reason, the bruiser respected, or at least kept his distance from the boy. Apparently, he was the one in charge.

The fumes were starting to make them irritable. An argument started, although it was rather one sided, as the boy didn't really care.

"It was supposed to arrive hours ago!"

"I've been informed that there has been a slight delay in schedule."

"Six hours is more than just a slight delay."

"I've been informed that there has been a slight delay in schedule."

"I know that."

"I've been informed that there has been a slight delay in schedule."

"Shut up."

"I've been informed that there has been a slight delay in schedule."

The girl rolled her eyes. Their incessant bickering was chafing at her patience, and so were the rusty cuffs around her wrists. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the noise. Now was her chance.

_"Focus."_

The men were too busy arguing to notice that the her cuffs were now unlocked. Despite the situation, her accomplishment made her feel a tad bit elated.

"Last week, I couldn't even untie a knot!..."

"Oi! Why are you smiling?" Her captors finally stopped arguing long enough to remember her existence.

"N-no reason..." Unfortunately, the bruiser decided to vent his frustrations out on her.

"Is that so?" the man drew closer. His fist closed around a crowbar.

"Oh crap." By the time he finishes with her face, nobody will be able to recognize her. Even dental records would fail, as this man seemed prepared to quite literally beat the shit out of her.

"Each bruise on her is fifty grand less for us," said the boy matter-of-factly.

With a sigh, the man threw the crowbar near her feet. The sheer force of impact crated a fairly large hole on the floor.

"I can't stand this shit, is all." He skulked away like a caged beast denied its prey.

_"Shit! The floor caved in!" _Her face blanched. Clearly this man was not normal.

"Is he-?" Grey eyes widened in alarm.

The boy nodded, completing her thoughts.

"Oh, you'll know soon enough..." Dark, hollow eyes stared at her. "You're one of them too." He laughed again.

A frantic anger shot through her.

"I'd rather die."

"Are you sure about that?"  
>A bemused grin twisted his otherwise impassive features. His eyes flicked towards his subordinate. An unspoken signal.<p>

The thug reached into his coat pocket.

The raven-haired girl closed her eyes.

This is it. She would die in an abandoned warehouse, alone, with a bullet through her head. Her parents had no idea of her whereabouts and her body would never be found. Her friends...

_That_ friend...

Her eyes stung, and tears threatened to spill from them.

However, she refused to give these bastards the satisfaction of breaking her. She was not some frightened little girl. Rather, she was a mature woman capable of facing her death with dignity. Or at least, she tried to look like one.

She waited for the sudden roar of noise that would signify the end of her existence.

She waited.

The roar never came. In its place, she heard raspy guffaws.

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"Did you really think I was going to shoot you? Give yourself some credit... You're worth more alive, than dead."

The girl ignored him and glared at his hand. It was clenched around something, but clearly, there was no gun to be found. She glanced at him in confusion.

With a grin, he walked over to the girl and dropped the object onto her lap.

A broken yellow headband.

They might as well have shot her.

"It's here! Prepare the subject for transport." A strange whirring noise pierced the silence.

The men removed her restraints and put a bag over her head. A syringe bit into her arm, making it feel heavy and useless.

Useless. That was what she was.

A useless little girl who put her friends in danger, and failed to protect them.

"Don't fight it. It will help you adjust to the jet lag."

She didn't fight the numbness. Rather, she embraced it.

It was the only thing on her side now.

* * *

><p>"Subject Akiyama Mio, succesfully restrained. Arrival time?"<p>

"Fifteen hours."


	2. Chapter 2

A lone tawny-haired figure walked through the deserted streets slowly, oblivious to all but the piece of paper she reread again and again. The note was crumpled and little tears started forming in places where the paper had been repeatedly creased. It was empty save for one line of ink that marred the white void.

_Goodbye_.  
>The word was hastily written, almost unintelligible, but Ritsu knew the hand that wrote it all too well to pretend that it was something else. Still, reading it and hearing it were two very different things. Her visit to the Akiyama residence was long overdue, anyway.<p>

Before long, the Akiyama residence came into view. A blue car was parked in the garage, which meant that the Akiyamas were probably home - two more Akiyamas than Ritsu wanted to see. She took a deep breath and trudged towards the porch. The doorbell looked broken, so she knocked at the door, albeit a little louder than she should have. Five seconds of inactivity passed by. She hurriedly turned to leave.

Just as she reached the concrete driveway, the door opened with a creak. It was Mrs. Akiyama. She had a faint smile on her face, which soon faded once she recognized the girl standing in front of her. Their eyes met.

"What do you want?"

"I just-" Ritsu willed herself to stay calm.

"Look, I already told you once. Please stay away from my daughter." The woman turned towads the door, as if there was nothing left to be said.

"I came here to apologize."

"Don't waste your time. She left yesterday." Her hand pushed the door shut; before it closed she glared coldly at Ritsu.

"She's better off there. Far away, from people like you." The door shut with a sharp click.

"People like me, huh."

Everything started fading into a wavering blur as Ritsu ran hard, not knowing where to go. A light drizzle started to fall, but she didn't notice the rain until she slipped on a puddle. Drenched in rain, sweat, tears, and mud, a glimpse at her reflection made her cringe.

"Fucking rain."

Ritsu slowly stood up and squeezed the water out of her jacket. Then she examined the contents of her pockets. All the paper bills were drenched, but the note remained defiantly dry. She managed to crack a smile, and headed home.

"Satoshi would freak if he saw me like this."

Pity was the last thing she needed right now, but there was nowhere else to go.

* * *

><p>"Turn your books to page number 335. I want you to read about the feudal era while I get some maps. When I get back, we'll discuss the social and economic aspects of this time period."<p>

Not long after the teacher left, students were stretching and talking, ridding themselves of the boredom that tends to come with lecture marathons. Books lay unopened, forgotten in the excitement.

"Hey, Tainaka. Get over here! We want to show you something."

A couple of students hustled around a magazine, and waved enthusiastically to Ritsu. Judging by the excited flush on their faces, it was an H-magazine. She shook her head and smiled at them.

"Maybe some other time. I don't feel so good. Didn't get much sleep last night."

Normally, the amber-eyed girl would have eagerly accepted their proposition. At the moment the only thing she wanted was some quiet; hanging out with a bunch of girls squealing over some half-naked man did not sound fun at all. Ritsu grabbed the hall pass. A quick nap on the rooftop should do some good.

* * *

><p>A heavy chain blocked the door to the rooftop. On the side, someone put up a no smoking sign. Ritsu struggled to untangle the rusty mass of iron, but the door refused to budge. Flakes of rust mixed with the dusty air. Ritsu sniffed her hands and grimaced. It smelled like old blood. The scent stuck to the back of her throat, making her nauseous. Gasping for air, she ran to the nearest restroom. In her haste, she pushed the door open with such force that it banged against the wall. A startled gasp brought her back to her senses.<p>

There, beside the sink, stood a blue-eyed girl watching her closely. Ritsu mumbled a quick apology. She felt bad for startling the girl.

"I-I'm sorry... Are you alright?"

No response came. Ritsu opened her mouth to repeat the question, but the girl suddenly spoke, as if she just remembered how to use her mouth.

"I'm fine, thanks. Sorry for worrying you. I was just a little dizzy." The girl shook her head, She had a warm smile but her voice was shaky with fatigue. Her hands grasped the corners of the sink tightly.

"Are you sure? You don't look so good." Ritsu approached her slowly. All of a sudden, the girl's blue eyes widened and she screamed.

"Please, stay away from me! Don't come any closer!"

"I'm not going to-"

A sharp noise startled Ritsu. Jagged pieces of glass lay scattered on the bathroom floor.

_'The mirror broke...'_

She turned to the girl. Long blonde hair concealed her eyes; clearly, the girl was no longer herself. The air crackled with heavy energy, making it increasingly difficult to breathe. Pieces of glass from the broken mirror vibrated with a low hum. Ritsu took a step back. Her instincts screamed at her to run, but a morbid fascination rooted her to the spot.

"Who...what are...you?"

The girl stretched out a hand and made a crushing motion with her fist. Ritsu gasped as an unseen force closed around her rib cage. Flecks of black danced around her vision as the hold on her grew tighter still. She fought to stay conscious, but it would only be a matter of time before she passed out. A sudden twinge of pain shot through her body as the pressure fractured something within her.

The last thing she saw were a pair of cold blue eyes.

* * *

><p>Manabe Nodoka set her books aside with a sigh. There was a strange new girl sleeping on the lower bunk of her bed. Apparently, this was her new roommate. She would have woken the girl up, but she noticed that her torso was covered in swathes of bandages. Tawny bangs covered her face; Nodoka brushed them away to get a closer look. Her fingers felt the heat radiating from the girl's forehead.<p>

'A fever? She's injured too...'

The girl shuddered at the contact and opened her eyes; bright amber glistening in the dark room. They closed before Nodoka could say anything.

Dozens of questions tickled her mind, but she decided to let her new roomate sleep.

_"Get all the rest you need... After all, the first day is always the hardest."_


	3. Chapter 3

Mio stared at the ceiling.

Beneath the anitiseptic glare of the fluorescent lamp, everything seemed uncomfortably sharp. The colors in the room oozed into each other, blurring into one incoherent mass that made her head ache. On the other side of the room a clock's hands moved backwards. Or was it sideways?

_'I have to snap out of it.'_

"Snap out of what?" A small muffled voice came from somewhere underneath the pillow. Mio flipped her pillow and found herself face-to-face with a stuffed toy in the shape of a horse. Its eyes were at an odd angle while its mouth was nowhere to be found. Grotesquely cute, as some might say.

"Great. Now I'm seeing and hearing things." Of all the things that her subconscious projected, this was by far the most incomprehensible hallucination yet.

"How about a cup of tea?" The horse held out an empty hoof. It was soon joined by other empty paws. Beside it, three more stuffed animals materialized out of nowhere; each as strange as their equestrian companion. The chicken looked particularly disturbing. An ugly puppy rolled all over the bed while a pig danced beside it.

Mio fluffed the pillow up and put it over her head. Until the drugs wear off, she would just have to go to sleep. Never mind the high pitched chattering in the background. And the frighteningly real mess that the imaginary animals were making on the bed.

"Can't hear anything...Can't hear anything..."

* * *

><p>Two men in white lab coats flipped through a pile of medical charts, deep in thought. The mechanical whir of a centrifuge amplified the silence of the room. The younger of the two men stood up and flipped a switch; in the center of the dimly lit room an old monitor flickered to life.<p>

"She should be fine in an hour."

"Or less." The other man exuded a seniority over the young scientist, too engrossed in a data sheet to even look at him while talking.

"I think we should wait a little longer. Previous research has shown that the rate of brain activity-" The young man's hand hovered over a syringe. His hesitancy distracted the other man from the reading material.

"A little drug withrawal won't kill her, will it?" Seeing as the man stayed motionless, he sighed and hardened his voice. He believed that science has no room for the naive, progress demands sacrifice. Seeing as his colleague remains ignorant of these principles, he decided to teach the man a practical lesson in compromise: his life or theirs.

"Look, they hired us to keep them alive... not comfortable." An unspoken threat lay in his eyes. The young man saw it and plunged the syringe into a vial of cloudy liquid quickly.

"...I understand."

* * *

><p>A blonde girl lay motionless on the white sheets of a hospital bed. Her eyes are closed; eyelids shut so tightly that they are quivering.<p>

The images repeated themselves endlessly. A girl lying on the slick floor, gasping for breath. A flash of red. Blood dripping from a hand. Two shadowy figures dragging both her and the girl away. Then darkness.

At first, it all seemed like a bad dream. She awoke on a white bed thinking that someone dragged her to the infirmary. It was only when she saw the restraints on her hands that everythings started to make sense.

Her condition, as her parents called it, was easily controlled so long as she was mentally fit. She poured every effort in maintaining this control, the fragile wall that kept the people around her safe. The wall occasionally cracked, but things got better with time. And music. On particularly bad days, the piano was all that kept the wall from breaking.

Despite all that, the finality of hurting someone never truly dawned on her. Her ability was an additional handicap, a challenge, perhaps even a gift. Now, she saw it for what it truly was.

It was a curse.

For the first time in her life, Kotobuki Tsumugi felt like a monster.


	4. Chapter 4

Ritsu awoke with a start. With great effort, she struggled to sit up and make sense of the darkness, but a sharp pain in her side kept her down.

"Agh... Where am I? Feels like I've been hit by a truck..."

A soft click echoed from somewhere within the shadowy room; the lamp flickered on the night stand. Something rustled above her and landed with a soft thump beside the bed. As her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, the fuzzy outline of a girl with short hair began to move towards her.

"So, how are you feeling?" The short-haired girl stifled a yawn and straightened a pair of red-rimmed eyeglasses on her face. Ritsu could see the girl's bloodshot eyes, a clear sign of recent sleep deprivation.

_'How am I feeling? Let's see, I'm lying half-naked in someone else's bed...in a room that clearly isn't mine...Then all of a sudden this girl I've never seen before in my entire life comes up to me asking how I feel...'_

Ritsu balked at the implications. This wasn't the first time that something like this has happened to her, but that didn't make it any easier.

"Listen, whatever happened last night-" She cringed, expecting the girl to make a fuss. Instead, the girl seemed relieved.

"You remember? Not bad. I thought you were some hopeless amnesiac case that they dumped on me."

"I don't under-agh! My damn chest hurts like hell..."

"Two of your ribs are fractured; I'd keep still if I were you."

Still wincing, Ritsu found herself silenced by the pain. Questions raced around her mind, but she was far too confused and distracted to put them into words. The girl took out a thin brown envelope from her pocket and dropped it on the nightstand, intentionally placing it just out of Ritsu's reach.

"I'm going to ask you two very important questions. Ready?"

"...Okay."

"Who are you?" Light reflected off the brunette's spectacles, hiding her eyes behind a glare of light. Ritsu felt her throat dry.

"...Ritsu. Tainaka Ritsu."

"Tainaka...Do you remember how you got these wounds?"

"No - but I'm pretty sure I was in the washroom moments ago. Was that...real?"

_'I sound like a retard.'_ Sensing Ritsu's hesitation, the girl nodded at her to continue.

"In a washroom, with mirrors breaking everywhere... something closed around me, squeezing the hell out of my chest. I... think I saw a girl too..."

She reached for the envelope and took out a rectangular piece of paper, handing it to the injured girl.

"Does she look anything like this?" The color drained out of Ritsu's face when she saw the photo. She forced herself to laugh; it came out wrong, like a hoarse cough.

"If this is some kind of prank- I have to admit, I'm pretty freaked out right now." At that, the girl softened her voice and gave her a grim smile.

"Maybe it is. To them, at least."

A shrill buzz echoed from outside the room, prompting the bespectacled girl to run to the door.

"I have to go. You can make yourself comfortable, but whatever you do, don't leave the room. I'll be back in a few hours."

"Wait! You never told me your name."

"Manabe...Nodoka."

Nodoka ran out of the room, leaving Ritsu alone and more confused than ever.

* * *

><p>"You're late." The teacher seemed to be in a foul mood; Nodoka flinched and looked at the floor.<p>

"I'll let this go since you're usually early, but make sure it doesn't happen again. Tardiness is unacceptable behavior for the class president." The woman glared at Nodoka then turned to address the the other students in the room.

"Put your books aside. Today, routine medical checks will be performed on some of you. Follow instructions and don't make a fuss. Clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Good. One of the staff doctors will be here shortly."

Nobody spoke even after she left the room. It was a heavy silence, intensified by heavy eye contact and nervous breathing. Some clasped their hands tightly, but they all kept a distance from one another as if there were some invisible border that prevented physical contact. Within minutes, the door opened.

The sharp scent of disinfectant flooded the room as a man entirely clad in white stepped into view. Only his eyes were exposed, two dark holes floating above a surgical mask.

"When you hear your name, step forward." There was a menacing authority in his voice; everyone knew that he was not someone to be trifled with.

"Shimizu Kyouko. Satou Akane. Sasaki Youko."

The crowd of students parted to allow the three girls to walk towards the doctor. He cleared his throat impatiently and motioned for the girls to walk faster.

"This way."

When they left, the tension in the room gradually dissipated. The students were relieved, but it was an empty relief - a weary apprehension born of the knowledge that anyone could be next.

Nodoka walked to the front of the room and began writing on the chalkboard. Behind her, everyone else returned to their seats, ready to forget what just happened.

"Resume self-study until professor returns."

Seeing that everyone was all settled down, Nodoka headed back to her own desk. Just as she was about to reach her seat, a voice abruptly shattered the silence from the other end of the room. It repeated itself, louder this time.

"Are they...coming back?"

The voice came from a small girl, about a year younger than most of them. Her eyes shone with impatience, as if she could will Nodoka to turn around through sheer determination. The president sighed and gritted her teeth.

_'Nakano Azusa, the girl with a death wish.'_

Nodoka could feel everyone staring at them. It was an unspoken question, and now that someone had put it into words, everybody wanted to hear the answer - even if it was a lie. She calmly faced the girl and replied without hesitation.

"Of course."

Before she could say any more, the teacher returned to the room.

* * *

><p>Due to the medical exam, class ended fairly quickly. Everybody left the room in an orderly line as the buzzer announced that it was time for lunch. The students made no attempt to hide their enthusiasm in leaving. Nodoka stood at the end of the line, taking note of attendance.<p>

But before she could leave, a hand descended on her shoulder. She turned to see the teacher standing behind her.

"Nodoka, I would like to talk to you for a moment."

"Yes, ma'am."

The line of students disappeared faster than usual, in no small part to the teacher's notorious glare. Satisfied that there was no one around, she took out a pair of glasses and set them on her face. Somehow her eyes seemed softer behind the glasses.

"Hey, I have a name, remember? Don't worry, surveilance should be off by now."

Nodoka smiled in spite of herself.

"Of course, Ms. Sawako." Satisfied, the teacher gave Nodoka a thumbs-up.

"Better. So, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

"You always say that."

It was a ritual between them: Sawako would ask her how she was and Nodoka would give her that answer regardless of how she really feels. A useless exercise, they both knew, but it kept them calm, as if the slightest change would topple the delicate balance of the world they lived in.

"Listen, Nodoka... Please, take care of yourself. I'll do what I can but-"

"I know. You can't look out for everybody all the time."

Being late was a great way to become a candidate for the medical exam. Nodoka inwardly chastised herself. She couldn't afford to let that happen to her. Not yet, at least.

"Make sure those girls stay calm. You're the class president, after all."

"You know, I'm smart enough to stay out of trouble."

"The three of them should be back by tomorrow, so don't get too worried... Anyway...I hear you have a new roommate?"

"How did you...?"

"Never mind. Just answer the question."

Nodoka understood that the less they spoke of their little operation, the better. Yet the thought of getting caught made her nervous. To her, how Sawako managed to keep her cool was the biggest mystery of all.

"She told me her name was Tainaka Ritsu."

"Tainaka, huh... I've read her file - she's an odd one. Anyway, I think that's enough for today. Let's get some lunch."

"It's just baked beans today, nothing special."

"Exactly. Nothing special." Sawako frowned as she took off her glasses. It was time to leave.

Nodoka willed herself to walk out of the room as slowly as possible, but Sawako's words filled her with fear.


End file.
